Security Deposits in Thailand: How Much and Getting It Back
What a deposit costs before you move in, what it may and may not pay for, when it must come back, and what to do if it does not.
A deposit is the largest sum most tenants in Thailand hand over before they move in, and the one most often lost. Of the 1,655 rental complaints the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) had received by May 2026, deposits kept without evidence, or out of proportion to the damage, came first. This guide gives what you pay, what each sum is for, when it must come back, what may be deducted, and what to do if it does not come back. The law is national; the rents in the examples are Chiang Mai's.
How much deposit do you pay in Thailand?
Commonly two months' rent as a deposit plus one month's rent in advance, three months in all. If your landlord lets three or more homes, the 2025 leasing rule caps the deposit and the advance rent at three months together. An owner of one or two homes may ask more, and the lease decides. The tenant pays no agent's fee: in Chiang Mai the owner pays the agent.
| Home | Rent a month | Before the keys |
|---|---|---|
| Condo | ฿14,000 | ฿42,000 |
| Townhouse | ฿20,000 | ฿60,000 |
| House | ฿22,000 | ฿66,000 |
The three-month cap is one combined ceiling, not a cap on the deposit alone: three months' deposit with no advance rent is lawful too. For a long lease with rent paid by the year, a landlord with three or more homes may take up to one year's rent. Our own fee, as an example of how agents are paid here, is on our owners page: nothing until the tenant moves in, then one month's rent for a twelve-month lease, paid by the owner.
Renting in Thailand as a foreigner
The five steps from viewing to keys, the 2025 rule for landlords with three or more homes, and typical rents in Chiang Mai.
Read the renting guideDeposit or advance rent: what each covers
They are two different sums. Under the 2025 rule, the deposit (เงินประกัน) secures damage you cause and unpaid charges other than rent; the advance rent (ค่าเช่าล่วงหน้า) secures the rent and is repaid at the end or used as your last month's rent. Have both written into the lease as separate amounts, and agree in writing whether the advance covers your last month.
Keeping them apart avoids the most common argument at move-out. Rent you owe comes out of the advance, not the deposit; damage comes out of the deposit, not the advance. With an owner of one or two homes the lease defines both, so ask for the same split in writing.
When must the deposit come back?
From a landlord who lets three or more homes: at once, or, if the landlord inspects first, within 7 days when there is no damage and within 14 days, less repair costs actually paid, when there is. Both clocks start when the lease has ended and the landlord has the home back, so get the handover date in writing. The landlord pays the cost of sending the money, by the method you choose.
| At move-out | Deadline | What may be kept |
|---|---|---|
| No damage | Within 7 days | Nothing |
| Damage you caused | Within 14 days | The repair cost actually paid |
| Normal wear, ageing, damage that is not your fault | Within 7 days | Nothing |
Leaving early works the same way. If you have lived there for at least half the term, given 30 days' written notice and owe no rent or charges, a landlord with three or more homes refunds rent paid for later months within 7 days, and a clause keeping the deposit when you are not at fault is void. With an owner of one or two homes no law sets a deadline: write one into the lease, for example 7 days after the keys go back.
What may be deducted from a deposit?
From a landlord with three or more homes, only the repair cost actually paid for damage you caused, and unpaid charges other than rent. Never normal use, normal wear, ageing, damage that is not your fault, or force majeure. Ask for the receipts. Under every lease, the Civil and Commercial Code says you are not liable for damage that comes from proper use of the home.
A fixed cleaning fee taken from the deposit whatever the state of the home, or the whole deposit kept for any early exit, are clauses to strike out before you sign. Ask the landlord in advance what they will charge at move-out for cleaning, repainting or servicing the air-conditioning, and have the answer written into the lease.
If your landlord has one or two homes
Then the 2025 rule does not apply and the Civil and Commercial Code says nothing about deposits: the amount, the deadline and the deductions are whatever the lease says. Many Chiang Mai condos are let by owners of one or two units, so read the deposit clause before you sign and ask for the 2025 terms in writing.
- Deposit and advance rent together of at most three months' rent, written as separate sums.
- The deposit back within 7 days of the keys going back, or 14 days with receipts for repairs.
- Deductions only for damage you caused, with receipts; never for wear.
- A condition report signed by both of you, with photos and the meter readings.
- What happens to the deposit if you leave early.
OCPB's free standard lease (Form ก) can be used as the lease even when the landlord is not bound to use it. Some rules of the Code still help. Claims for damage to the home must be brought within six months of you returning it, and if the home is sold, your lease continues with the new owner.
From viewing to move-out: a checklist
A deposit comes back on paper, not on goodwill: what protects it is a signed condition report at the start and a written handover at the end. Each step below says whether it is the law, for which landlords, or simply good practice.
Move-in and move-out checklist
Every step of both handover days, to print: the condition report, meter photos, the TM30, notice and the handover sheet.
Read the checklist guide| When | Do this | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Before paying | See the home and the owner's ID and title deed; pay only an account in the owner's name, never before a viewing | Good practice; police advice |
| Before signing | Ask whether the landlord lets three or more homes | Decides which rules apply |
| Before signing | Check: at most 3 months up front, the utility rates written in, who files the TM30 | Law, 3 or more homes |
| Signing | Your copy at once; deposit and advance rent as separate sums | Law, 3 or more homes |
| Move-in day | Walk through and sign the condition report; add dated photos and the meter readings | Report: law, 3 or more homes. Photos: good practice |
| Move-in day | Get the TM30 receipt | Law: Immigration Act |
| During the lease | Pay by bank transfer, keep receipts and messages, report defects in writing | Good practice |
| Giving notice | In writing; after half the term to leave early from a landlord with 3 or more homes | Law |
| Move-out | Walk through against the condition report with dated photos; get the handover date in writing | Good practice; starts the 7- or 14-day clock |
| Move-out | Tell the landlord in writing how to send the deposit back | Law, 3 or more homes: the landlord pays the transfer |
| After move-out | Ask for receipts for every deduction; refuse deductions for wear | Law |
Electricity bills in Thailand
How to read the meter and the bill, and what a landlord may charge you per unit.
Read the electricity guideIf the deposit does not come back
Send the landlord a written demand with the handover date, the amount and how to pay you. If nothing comes, complain free to the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, which mediates, and then go to court. Against a landlord with three or more homes, a consumer case costs no court fees; small claims, open against any landlord, has low capped fees and the claim can be stated orally.
- A written demand to the landlord, by message and on paper, with a date to pay by.
- A free complaint to OCPB: hotline 1166, LINE @ocpbconnect, complaint.ocpb.go.th or the OCPB Connect app. In Chiang Mai, also the province's consumer-protection subcommittee at the Provincial Hall.
- A consumer case in court, with no court fees, against a landlord with three or more homes. Whether an owner of one or two homes counts as a business for this has not been settled by a court we could find.
- Small claims, against any landlord: court fees are capped low and you may state the claim to the court orally.
Questions to ask the landlord about the deposit
- How many homes do you let? Three or more brings in the 2025 rule.
- How much is the deposit, how much the advance rent, and does the advance cover my last month?
- Within how many days will the deposit come back, and by what method? Please write it into the lease.
- What will you charge at move-out for cleaning, repainting or servicing the air-conditioning?
- Is there a condition report, and can we add photos and the meter readings to it?
- If I leave early, what happens to my deposit?
- If an agent shows the home, is their fee paid by you?
Sources, read by 25 October 2026 (laws cited in their Thai text; the English is ours)
- Contract Committee notification B.E. 2568 on residential leasing, with the standard leases (in Thai) · Royal Gazette, 6 June 2025
- Sample short-term residential lease, Form ก (in Thai) · Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB), 8 June 2026
- OCPB complaint channels · OCPB, 8 June 2026
- Civil and Commercial Code, section 562: no liability for damage from proper use (Thai text) · Legardy
- Civil and Commercial Code, section 563: six months for the landlord's claims after the home is returned (Thai text) · Legardy
- Civil and Commercial Code, section 566: notice on a lease with no fixed term (Thai text) · Legardy
- Civil and Commercial Code, section 569: a sale does not end the lease (Thai text) · Legardy
- Civil Procedure Code, sections 190/4 and 191: court fees in small claims, and stating a claim orally (Thai text) · Legardy
- The Consumer Case Procedure Act for small businesses: no court fees for consumers (in Thai) · Office of SMEs Promotion (OSMEP)
- Thailand strengthens controls on residential lease contracts · Tilleke & Gibbins, 26 August 2025
- How Thailand's Consumer Protection Board handles consumer complaints · Tilleke & Gibbins, 15 September 2022
- Consumer complaints at Chiang Mai's Provincial Hall (in Thai) · Punyachitti & Ladavalya Na Ayuthya, Chiang Mai University, October 2024
- 1,655 rental complaints since 2025, deposits first (in Thai) · Thairath, 28 May 2026
- A rental scam: two months' deposit plus one month's rent, paid the same day (in Thai) · Khaosod, 8 July 2025
- Cyber Police: how to spot fake rental pages before paying (in Thai) · Thai Post, 12 June 2023
Frequently asked questions
What are my rights if my landlord in Thailand is not returning my deposit?
If your landlord lets three or more homes, the deposit is due within 7 days of the lease ending and the keys going back, or within 14 days less repair costs actually paid, never for normal wear, and the landlord pays for the transfer. Send a written demand, then complain free to the Office of the Consumer Protection Board on 1166, then go to court. With an owner of one or two homes, the lease decides, and small claims is open.
What are the legal requirements for security deposits in Thailand?
No general law sets them. For landlords who let three or more homes, the 2025 leasing rule does: deposit and advance rent together at most three months' rent; the deposit covers damage and unpaid charges, not rent; it comes back within 7 days, or 14 with repair receipts; and keeping it when you are not at fault is void. For an owner of one or two homes, the lease decides.
How much deposit do you pay for a rental?
Commonly two months' rent as a deposit plus one month in advance, three months in all, which is also the legal maximum for landlords with three or more homes. In Chiang Mai that comes to about ฿42,000 before move-in for a condo at ฿14,000 a month. The tenant pays no agent's fee: the owner pays the agent.
What are red flags for tenants?
More than three months' money up front, the whole deposit kept for leaving early, a fixed cleaning fee taken from the deposit, no condition report or no copy of the lease at signing, and pressure to pay before a viewing or into someone else's account. Our guide to renting in Thailand lists the rest.
Can the landlord keep the deposit if I leave early?
From a landlord with three or more homes, not if you have lived there for at least half the term, given 30 days' written notice and owe nothing: keeping the deposit when you are not at fault is void. Leaving before half the term, the lease decides. With an owner of one or two homes the lease decides too, so agree what happens to the deposit before you sign.